The Desert's Secret
by Boglie
Summary: Robin and Much set out on a quest to be able to move on from the past, but are hardly expecting what they will find... Follows on from Series 2 Episode 13...I can't believe that ending! SPOILERS FOR 2:13 Pairings RM WD Chapter 2 up!
1. To say goodbye

Disclaimer: sadly only the BBC own the rights to Robin Hood etc...

Apoligies if the formatting appears a bit unconventional - I had some difficulty getting rid of the double spacing created in uploading the file...

Anyhow...enjoy...,

Boglie xx

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_Djaq sighed as she left the site of the graves. Deep down she understood the reasoning of what she had had to do, but she couldn't help but reflect on the unnecessary pain that would result from the secrecy which would follow…_

_**1 year later**_

Robin sighed as he watched after the retreating backs of his friends, at long last pardoned and returning home. Much hesitated as he noticed his friend was not with them, "Robin?"

"Go" Robin replied, making no move to follow.

"Master, Gisbourne has gone; you can return to Locksley…" Much reassured him, concerned by his old master's blankness. Understandably, Robin had never been the same since their return from the Holy Land, since…what happened…, but even without Marian, the King had returned, Prince John and the Sheriff had been defeated; they could go home!

"Just go."

John and Allan sighed, again moving off towards home. They could see why Robin did not want to return to Locksley, but they knew that if Robin was going to open up to anyone, it would be Much.

Much, left looking between the retreating backs of his friends and Robin waited for a moment, gathering his thoughts before moving back over to camp, dumping his bags and making himself at home. "What are you doing?" Robin enquired half-heartedly as he himself returned to poking the dying embers of the fire. "If you are not leaving, than neither am I. You are stuck with me – now tell me you do not wish to return to Locksley". Robin smiled; whatever had happened, however much he wanted to be alone, he could not deny the reassurance of Much's presence. Much sighed, "Master, what is the matter? We've done it…we've defeated the Sheriff", he paused, "Marian would be proud of you".

Robin nodded, "But now what…I promised her I would keep fighting, and I have…but now what am I to do…her dying wasn't part of the plan"

"No, but now you move on…you make a new plan. You go home, to Locksley, eat, sleep, and tomorrow, tomorrow we move on, all of us, together." Much replied supportively; whatever happened, even at Bonchurch, he would never abandon his master. Robin sighed, looking up at his friend, "I can't go home, Much" he admitted, "I can't go to Locksley…not without Marian. Without Marian…without her, there is no Locksley."

"Then what are you going to do?" Much asked, confused, "You can hardly live out here alone; I mean you are welcome at Bonchurch at any time, you know that, but…"

"I don't know, Much" Robin sighed, "I don't know."

Much watched sadly as Robin looked around, standing to gather his various belongings. "Where are you going?" he asked after a while, confused as Robin proceeded to load himself with his kit. "The Holy Land" Robin replied.

"What?" Much followed his friend in confusion, "The Holy land, why?" He stopped as the answer dawned on him, "To see Marian."

"To say goodbye"

Robin looked up as Much loyally took his place at his side, himself laden with gear. "If you are going to the Holy Land, then so am I"


	2. Arrival in Acre

Apologies for not updating for so long...hopefully part 3 will be up soon...thanks for all the reviews!! :D

_Recap_

_Much watched sadly as Robin looked around, standing to gather his various belongings. "Where are you going?" he asked after a while, confused as Robin proceeded to load himself with his kit. "The Holy Land" Robin replied. _

"_What?" Much followed his friend in confusion, "The Holy land, why?" He stopped as the answer dawned on him, "To see Marian."_

"_To say goodbye" _

_Robin looked up as Much loyally took his place at his side, himself laden with gear. "If you are going to the Holy Land, then so am I"_

Part 2

"Oh, what I wouldn't do for some food!" Much sighed as the pair made there way up from the port of Acre. Robin smiled, "Much, you have already eaten enough to feed a small army…you just had the misfortune to get sea-sick". Much grimaced at the thought; still, he thought, at least it had brought a smile to his master's face.

Robin sighed as surveyed the scene in front of him, of a city finally beginning to move on from the horrors of war, from all that had happened, from the past… a tear came to Robin's eyes as he dwelt on this last point, the past; now that the war was over, Marian was also being resigned to the past, the world was moving on, without her. As much as Robin saw saying goodbye as a way of remaining loyal to Marian, he was also plagued with guilt at the thought of what came after, that he too would eventually have to move on and leave her to the past…

'Master!' Robin looked up from his thoughts to find Much moving on ahead of him in search of a bed, and food, for the night. Robin did not know how he would have survived the journey to Acre without Much by his side, keeping him focused on the task in hand. However, he could easily have coped without the singing… "Much, we said no songs!"

"It's a happy song!" Much pleaded,

"It's still a song! And we agreed, no songs!"

Much sighed in defeat, settling for a quite hum instead as the pair headed to Bassam's house in search of a bed for the night.

Much looked on in silence as he watched Robin search through the pigeons for Lardner. Eventually finding the cage, Robin swallowed his tears as he held the bird in his hands as he had a year before…

'_How can a bird come all this way, and still find its way home" Robin reflected in amazement as they headed back to the tree. "They follow their hearts…" Marian replied. The couple paused, smiling as they thought of their own situation. Now that they were finally together, with a plan for the future, nothing else mattered…so long as they were together. If they were ever apart, they would always find each other, just by following their hearts..._

Robin sighed, if only Marian hadn't returned to the castle; they had been so close…

Meanwhile, Bassam watched on from behind Much, himself reeling with guilt over the unnecessary pain Robin was suffering…if only there had been some other way…


End file.
